Understanding Moral Values: A Comprehensive Analysis

Values

The concept of value originates from economics and refers to objects, situations, qualities, or ideas that are generally appreciated or esteemed. The value of something is what makes it desirable or useful. Values guide our actions and are present in every human activity, acting as a beacon that attracts and invites us to orient ourselves. They represent aspirations or desires, something worthy of being achieved, either personally or collectively. Values give meaning to life and evoke strong emotions.

Characteristics of Values

• Important: They guide our behavior, making us prefer some things over others (e.g., choosing between a canteen and gold).
• Transcendent: They are not inherent in objects or facts but are added from the outside, which is why we say they transcend (unlike odor or weight).
• Mental constructs: Values exist differently than objects and events in the world (e.g., a family relationship).
• Individual and collective: They are individual in that they are part of a person's way of being, but they are also collective because values are shared by a community of individuals.
• Historico-social: Values are attributed at a specific time and by a specific society. An individual's values cannot be separated from the conditions that have marked their life at a particular time (e.g., war).

Moral Values

Moral value is the quality that human actions possess, determining whether they contribute to or hinder the subject's process of humanization. Actions that promote the humanization process are classified as good, beneficial, or positive. Actions that do not favor the humanization process are considered bad or harmful and are defined as negative values (counter-values).

Characteristics of Moral Values

• Bipolarity: Values are presented in two poles, such as love versus hatred.
• Quality: The value of human actions is independent of quantity; an action's goodness does not depend on the degree of goodness.
• Hierarchy: There are no absolute values, but some are superior to others depending on particular circumstances.

Organization of Values

According to Max Scheler, values are organized in a hierarchy. Some criteria for determining a value's position in the hierarchy include:

• Durability: Durable goods are preferred over ephemeral or changing ones.
• Divisibility: Higher values are large and indivisible, while lower ones can be diluted and easily satisfy specific interests.
• Foundation: Many personal values are based on higher ideals derived from the religious sphere, tradition, etc.
• Depth of satisfaction: The intensity of the experience of values can also influence the hierarchical position each person assigns to them.

Values, whether held by an individual or an entire community, form an ordered set called a scale of values.

Theories About Values

• Subjectivism: This theory posits that things have no inherent value; they are only useful insofar as they are appreciated by a subject. It is human beings who give value to things. Man is a creator of values.
• Objectivism: This theory argues that values are independent of human beings. From this perspective, humans are discoverers of values; they acknowledge them but do not create them.